Midwifery training institutions get equipment worth sh555m

Twenty midwifery training institutions across the country have received midwifery skills laboratory equipment worth sh555 million (US$151,311) to enhance the hands on training of midwife students.

The skills lab equipment consist various anatomic modals focusing on genital, reproductive area and for babies to ensure safe delivery. These include female pelvis, neonatal resuscitation apparatus, and placenta models, among others. They were donated by the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) with support from Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) at the Health Tutors' College Mulago recently.

While handing over the equipment to principal tutors, the UNFPA country representative Alain Sibenaler said the highly professional technical equipment will help the midwifery students learn better through visualising different parts of the body and also to get practice on how to detect the various stages of pregnancy and child birth.

 
Sibenaler said, ensuring that student midwives are equipped with laboratory skills is one of the ways to acquire competence and be able to provide quality care to mothers and their babies.

Annelie Areskar, the national programme officer Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) at the Embassy of Sweden said equipment will enable the country to have skilled and competent workforce which will consequently increase skilled attendance and thus reduction in maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity.

According the Uganda Demographic Health Survey 2016, seven out of 10 women now deliver with assistance from a skilled birth attendant, usually a midwife.

John Chrysestom Muyingo, the State Minister for Higher Education who officiated the handover, said the Government of Uganda and the Education Ministry is committed to effective and quality training of midwives as it improves the health of mothers who are central in our families and the country.

Muyingo also urged the principal tutors to emphasise and promote positive attitude among students towards their work and patients.

"It is one thing having the skills when the attitude is negative. But if you are talking about improvement in in health care delivery and services, the attitude should be positive to encourage mothers to seek health care ," he said

 
The institutions that received equipment include: Mulago school of nursing & midwifery, Health tutors' college, Public health nurses college , Kyambogo School of Nursing and midwifery, Kibuli  school of nursing and midwifery, Jinja school of nursing and midwifery, Kamuli school of nursing & midwifery, Soroti school of nursing and midwifery, Matany school of nursing and midwifery, Kalongo  school of nursing  and midwifery, Lira school of nursing and midwifery, Lacor school of nursing and midwifery, Arua school of nursing and midwifery, Ishaka school of nursing and midwifery, Virika school of nursing and midwifery, Kagando school of nursing and midwifery, Mutolere school of nursing and midwifery, KaroliLwanga school  of nursing and midwifery, Nyakibale school of nursing and midwifery, Kabale school of nursing and midwifery, Ngora school of nursing and midwifery and Lira University /  Faculty of Midwifery

Beneficiaries speak out

Richard Tumwesigye, a Principal at Karoli Lwanga school of nursing and midwifery in Nyakibale Rukungiri district said they did not have enough skills lab equipment. The consignment given to them will help in the hands on training of midwives to give quality services and also compete favourably in the human resource market.

 

Maris Serena Aliche, the principal at Soroti school of registered comprehensive nursing said the laboratory equipment is going to help the tutors to equip student midwives with hands on skills.

"This will have an impact nationally on management of mothers in the community or in the labor ward," said Aliche.